Pakistani leaders ‘really helped’ US conclude peace deal with Iran: Trump

US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that Pakistani leaders were very good mediators and they had “really helped” Washington in concluding the peace deal with Iran, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

In an interview with Axios, President Trump said Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir is a great leader. “In Pakistan, you have the field marshal, who is great. Munir, he's great. And you have the prime minister, and they just get along great. I figured, well, maybe the military guy would be, he totally respects the prime minister. It's a beautiful thing to see,” he said.

The US president maintained “But they really helped us with this deal. They knew the Iranians, they knew the people and they were good. You have leaders in, I mean, you have so many different types. For the most part, if you're a smart person, you can understand to be in these positions, you have to be smart. You have to be tough. Maybe smart even more so, but the combination is probably better.”

Trump on Pakistan:

In Pakistan, you have the Field Marshal, who is great. And you have the prime minister, and they just get along great.

The military guy totally respects the prime minister.

It's a beautiful thing to see.

Source: Axios pic.twitter.com/s804kYH3qw

— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 19, 2026

Responding to a question, Trump said “We defeated them (Iran) totally militarily. I was asked by Pakistan because they're close to please not do anymore. I said, I like them a lot. You know, I stopped Pakistan from fighting India, two nuclear nations, and the prime minister of Pakistan said, President Trump saved 50 million lives. They were going to use nuclear weapons. 11 planes were shot down. They were at it. And I was hearing about it, then I saw some really terrible pictures. They were going at it, Pakistan and India. They have gone at it in the past, but this was, and they're both nuclear-armed, heavily, and they were going to use those nuclear weapons. And the prime minister of Pakistan said Donald Trump saved 50 million lives. But it's not 50. I think it was much more than that. 50 is nothing when you look at 1.5 billion people just in India alone.”

US must keep Netanyahu ‘a little bit sane’

Trump also delivered a blunt critique of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the interview, stating their relationship is “good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane”.

The remark came when Trump was asked by Axios about his ties with the Israeli premier amid ongoing efforts to end fighting in Lebanon.

Trump asserted he can control Israeli military actions in Lebanon because officials there “do as I say.”

He highlighted American military superiority, saying that the US provides “the guns” and “B-2 bombers,” and claimed that without his intervention, Israel would have been “eviscerated,” echoing his remarks earlier this week asserting: “Without the United States, there would be no Israel.”

Earlier this week, the US president said he advised Netanyahu to use a “softer touch” in Lebanon, saying Israel does not have to “knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah,” referring to frequent Israeli bombing of Lebanon, including many residential areas.

Trump’s latest remarks coincide with the announcement of a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that took effect Friday afternoon.

The truce follows an escalation that killed 47 people in southern Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers since early Friday.

According to official figures, Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon since March 2 has killed 3,912 people, injured 11,873 others, and displaced more than one million residents.

Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the latest conflict. During its recent military campaign, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanese territory.